Tortured Souls
by PurpleVillains42
Summary: Loki is on a mission to find Thor. In order to find him, he needs a pilot. When Valkyrie leaves him with a woman that can help him, he discovers that he may have more in common with this mystery woman than he thought. POST ENDGAME:SPOILERS AHEAD
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello and welcome to this fic! I am writing this to help deal with my emotions after seeing Endgame. That being said, this fic does take place after Endgame and contains spoilers so if you have not seen it yet, wait until you see it to read this story! Also, although it will not be listed as such, this is technically a crossover story with one of my other fics for a different fandom. I don't have it listed as a crossover because the other universe does not play a big part in the story, I just borrowed one of my OC's from that universe. I hope you enjoy this story!**

The last thing Loki remembered was the mad titan's hand around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter as he uttered his last words.

"You will never be a god…" he gasped before his throat gave out.

Now he gasped for air once more, only to find none in the vastness of space he floated in. Pieces of debris floated around him, the only parts remaining of the ship he had been on. Calling upon his limited strength, Loki used magic to create a bubble around his head. He knew it wouldn't last long as he didn't have any actual air around him. Frantically glancing around him, Loki noticed an escape pod that had somehow evaded destruction. Using the remaining magic resources he had, he pulled it to him. Once he entered the pod, Loki removed the bubble from his head and breathed in the air provided by the life support system. His hand went to his throat, gently massaging it. It was as if Thanos had never touched him.

Loki moved to the single seat in the pod and started pressing buttons on the console, causing everything around him to light up. He read the status report on the screen in front of him, letting out a roar of frustration as it displayed the pod's damage report. While the pod was still functioning as a safe haven, he was stuck. Loki leaned back in the seat, staring out into the empty nothingness in front of him.

What happened after Thanos crushed his throat? Was Thor still alive? Was he able to stop the mad titan from destroying the universe? Above all of these questions, Loki wondered something else. How was he alive? Not that he was complaining. Being alive was preferable to being dead. Having accepted death twice before, only to survive, he was used to it being non-permanent. Although this time, he had nothing to do with his survival. What had saved him?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a bright orange light filled his field of vision. Last time he saw something like that, that aggravating wizard on Midgard had used a portal to transport him against his will. An even brighter light emerged in the center of the growing orange circle, forcing Loki to squint from the brightness. Through his narrowed vision, Loki could make out a shape in the center of the shining light, the shape of a woman.

Before he could react, Loki was jerked out of his seat by the sudden movement of the escape pod he was occupying. Groaning, he pulled himself off the floor back into the chair. Resituating himself, he looked back out the front of the pod, nearly falling off the chair again in surprise as he found himself face to face with three people. As he thought, the wizard was present. He was joined by a blonde woman in a red and blue jumpsuit and another familiar face. The Valkyrie woman raised her hand and waved her fingers at him, a grin plastered on her face. Loki groaned again, suddenly missing the emptiness of space. Standing from his seat, he exited the escape pod, stepping out onto the grass. Glancing around him, he could see that he was on Midgard. He walked around to the front of the pod to greet the three people waiting for him.

"Loki, it's good to see you alive," Valkyrie said, "Thor will be pleased to hear you are still with us."

"I'm not really sure 'still with us' is the best phrase to use," the wizard said in a condescending tone, "more like 'with us again'."

Valkyrie rolled her eyes at his words. "Whatever the technical term is, he is alive. That's the important part."

Loki held up his finger to stop the conversation.

"How am I alive exactly? And why am I here?"

Valkyrie jerked her thumb at the man beside her.

"Ask Strange. He's the one who knew how to find you," she said.

Loki turned to the man in question, awaiting an explanation.

"I do not know exactly who brought you back, Banner or Stark. All I know is that when I looked into the future, I saw you returning. Banner gave me the coordinates of where your ship was attacked, so I had Danvers assist in bringing you here," Strange said, gesturing at the blonde woman.

Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise. Granted his relationship with Banner had improved, but he wouldn't have expected him or Stark to bring him back to life. He was also still a little lost on the 'how' part, but he could guess it had something to do with the infinity stones Thanos had been collecting.

"Has Thanos been defeated?" he asked, hope in his voice.

The blonde woman named Danvers smirked and nodded her head.

"Twice actually. Both the Thanos from this timeline and one from the past were defeated. Also, we were able to undo the damage he caused."

"Most of the damage," Strange corrected her, "we still lost some good people."

Loki watched the smirk disappear from Danvers' face at Strange's comment. It seemed that the war had not been kind to the heroes that had gathered to fight Thanos.

"Who was lost? Based on what you said when I arrived, I take it my brother was not among the causalities?" Loki asked.

Valkyrie shook her head in response to his question. "No, he is very much alive. After Thanos was defeated, he left with a group of people called 'The Guardians of the Galaxy'. He left me to watch over what remains of our people. All the same, he took his initial defeat pretty hard, so he is no longer the same Thor you knew."

"Initial defeat?" Loki asked, confused by the mentions of multiple fights and timelines.

"The first time we fought Thanos, we lost," Strange said. "He was able to obtain all the stones, and with a snap of his fingers, he killed half the population. This included most of the team assembled to defeat him, even myself. Thankfully, through the ingenuity of the remaining Avengers, they were able to undo his snap and bring almost everyone back, leading to his eventual defeat."

"I don't understand where my brother comes in," Loki said.

"He nearly killed Thanos before he was able to snap his fingers," Valkyrie explained, "but he failed, leading to disastrous consequences. That failure added on top of his inability to stop him when he attacked your ship sent him into a downward spiral over the course of five years. Your death, Heimdall's death, and losing half of our people only contributed to his guilt."

Loki felt his heart go out to his brother. He could not imagine having that much guilt on one's shoulders. Even in their success, Thor had still lost ones he cared about. Five years was almost nothing to Asgardians, but he imagined it was still a long time in Thor's mind.

"You mentioned losing people, anyone I know?" he inquired.

"Romanoff sacrificed herself to help us obtain the soul stone to undo the damage Thanos caused. An android being named Vision and a woman named Gamora were killed in his original pursuit of the stones. Since their deaths were all connected to obtaining the stones, they unfortunately were not brought back by Banner's snap like the rest of us were," Strange explained. "Lastly, Stark gave his life to stop Thanos once and for all. He used the gauntlet they constructed to dissolve Thanos and his army, but the process killed him. If I had to guess, he brought you back in that snap to help Thor cope with his grief."

Loki wasn't sure how to feel about the information that had been revealed to him. In their limited interaction, he had terrorized Tony Stark. Yet, the man had brought him back to life as part of the last thing he did in life. He intended to make sure his sacrifice was not in vain.

"If that is the case, then I must find my brother and join him."

The three others shared a look that Loki couldn't quite interpret.

"That could be quite difficult, as we aren't really sure where he went," Danvers said.

"Unfortunately, I have no insight to offer you," Strange said apologetically. "I must get going however, so I will leave the situation in your capable hands Brunnhilde."

He disappeared through another orange portal without another word, leaving Loki alone with the two women.

"I wish he didn't call me that," Valkyrie muttered, "it's better to just call me Valkyrie or Val. I'm the only one left, so it fits."

"At least Brunnhilde is actually your name. Much better than Vers, which is what the Kree called me," Danvers said, "They couldn't be bothered to give me a new name, so they just took part of my last name off my dog tags, the lazy bastards."

Valkyrie chuckled. "I like Carol much better than Vers. It suits you."

Loki cleared his throat to remind the women that he was still standing there.

"We still have yet to figure out how I am going to find my brother," he pointed out in annoyance.

"I'm afraid I won't be much help either," Danvers said, "I have to return to help the Skrulls deal with some problems they have been having on their new home planet."

"I have an idea of what to do, so don't worry about it," Valkyrie said.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it," Danvers said before she started to glow with a blinding light.

Loki and Valkyrie covered their eyes to protect them as she leapt from the ground into the sky, a ball of light disappearing into the atmosphere. Once she was out of sight, Loki turned to look at Valkyrie again.

"So what's this brilliant plan of yours?" he asked.

"There's a pilot I know that can take you to find Thor. She's the only one around here with a ship other than the huge one we traveled here in. Rocket gave me a vague idea of where they were going, so that would be a good place to start."

Loki gestured with his arms, indicating for her to lead the way. He followed her down a dirt path towards a small town nestled in a valley. A sign that he passed read 'New Asgard'. As he followed Valkyrie through the small town, he noticed many people stop to stare at him. He guessed that news of his death had spread, so seeing him walk into town five years later was not what these people were expecting.

Loki followed Valkyrie to the edge of town, where they came upon a plot of land that held a small house and a barn type structure. He saw a woman walking along a path between the two buildings, not aware of their approach.

"Now be nice to her, you need her help," Valkyrie said in an almost scolding tone.

"What? Afraid I'll hurt her feelings and she'll complain to you about it?" he sneered back at her.

Valkyrie stopped walking and turned to face him with a serious look on her face.

"No. I'm afraid you'll say something stupid and she'll shoot you. I don't want to have to explain to Thor that you came back to life only to have it be short-lived due to your rude nature."

Loki felt like doing the childish thing and mocking her as she turned away from him and started walking again, but he refrained.

"Hey red!" Valkyrie called out.

The woman looked up at the sound of her voice and smile raising her hand in greeting. Loki took in the appearance of the woman, inwardly scoffing at Valkyrie's warning. She didn't seem like much of a threat to him. She was quite petite, the top of her head about even with his shoulder. She also had a very thin build, almost appearing to have no muscles at all. Her red hair was tied back, exposing a kind looking face with greenish brown eyes that crinkled when she smiled. To Loki, she appeared to be an average mortal woman rather than a threat. That being said, he had underestimated the last red-haired mortal woman he had met, and she had beat him at his own manipulative game.

"What can I do for you Val?" the woman asked, her eyes peering around Valkyrie to look at him.

"It's not what you can do for me, but what you can do for him. I'll let him explain, as words are his specialty," Valkyrie said, giving Loki an amused wink.

Loki had a feeling that she wanted him to say something stupid, just so this woman would shoot him. He scowled at her as she walked away, waving goodbye as she walked. He turned back to the woman and noticed that her smile had faded. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him expectantly.

"What can I do for you Prince Loki?"

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! For anyone that reads my other stories, this woman is not Mina, so don't be concerned that she left her disaster of a marriage for the God of Mischief.**


	2. Chapter 2

Loki stared at the woman in surprise, barely managing to keep his mask of a non-caring attitude in place.

"You know who I am?" he asked.

"Am I not supposed to? This isn't the first time I've seen you, although this is the first face-to-face conversation we've ever had."

Loki racked his brain for a memory of seeing this woman before, but he came up empty-handed.

"Forgive me, I assumed that you were not of Asgard. You don't look like any Aesir woman I've ever met," he said, glancing up and down her lean form.

"You would be correct in that assumption your highness," she answered, "I lived in Asgard for a few years, but I am not Aesir. That being said, I am not from Earth either. I highly doubt you have heard of the place I am from, so I won't bore you with the details. Now, what can I do for you?"

Recovering from his confusion, Loki returned his focus to his goal to find his brother rather than the woman in front of him.

"I seek to find my brother Thor, who seems to have left with a group called the Guardians of the Galaxy. In order to do so, I need a ship, your ship to be precise, which I understand comes with the addition of you as a pilot."

"Yes, it does. My ship and I are a package deal," she said. "I'd be happy to help you out Prince Loki, I just need to make some arrangements before we can leave."

"Please just call me Loki," he said. "What about you? What do I call you?"

The woman smiled cryptically at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"I've been called many things. Val calls me Red. I have two different names, one given to me by my parents and one by the psychotic man who raised me. Which would you prefer?"

Loki sighed, rolling his eyes in frustration at this exhausting woman. She chuckled softly at his obvious annoyance.

"You can call me Naomi. That's what name I've been using for the last 10 years or so."

Loki thanked the All-fathers that he had finally gotten a straight answer from her. At the sound of voices behind him, Loki turned to see a pair of boys walking up the path towards them. One boy turned to go to a house further down the road, leaving the other one alone. When the boy saw Naomi, he waved with enthusiasm, quickening his pace.

"Mum!" he shouted in greeting as he got closer.

Naomi bent down to hug the boy when he reached her, ruffling his dark hair as she straightened up again.

"How were your lessons today?" she asked.

The boy ignored her question, instead staring up at Loki in amazement with wide blue eyes.

"Prince Loki?" he asked quietly, disbelief in his voice.

Loki glanced at Naomi and saw her roll her eyes and laugh again. She pulled the boy in front of her, placing one hand on his shoulder and gesturing to Loki with the other.

"Beckett this is indeed Loki. He has returned and has a mission for me."

The boy's eyes widened as he turned his gaze from Loki back to his mother.

"A mission?" he asked excitedly. "What kind of mission?"

"He wants me to help him find his brother Thor. I'm going to take him on the ship, and we are going to look for him."

"Can I come too?" Beckett asked, looking up at Loki hopefully as if he was asking his permission rather than Naomi's.

Loki's gaze shifted from Beckett to Naomi. He saw her smile fade at her son's question. She squatted down so she was eye-level with him and shook her head.

"Not this time, buddy, I'm sorry," she said. "It might be dangerous, so you're going to have to stay behind this time. Why don't you go to the house and pack a bag? I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, so you will have to stay with Prit and his parents."

Beckett seemed disappointed by Naomi's answer but did as he was told, disappearing into the house. After she watched the door swing closed, Naomi turned her attention back to Loki.

"If you want to go over to that barn, you'll find the ship," she said, pointing to the other building nearby. "I'll be there once I get some stuff together myself and get my son situated."

Much like the young boy, Loki did as he was told. He made his way over to the barn and pushed the large doors apart, revealing a strange looking ship. It was slightly bigger than the ship Valkyrie had when he met her, and it was shaped similar to an arrowhead. Four canons were visible on the front, two on each wing. It looked ancient and had a greenish tint, which he approved of. Walking around to the back of the ship, he found the entrance ramp. Loki walked up the ramp and looked around. He was in a small cargo hold with 3 doors, one on either side of him and one in front of him behind a set of steep stairs that he guessed led up to the cockpit. Climbing the stairs, he found that his assumption was correct. Four seats were in front of him, two of which sat at a control console.

Loki sat in one of the chairs on the right side, pressing different buttons in front of him in an attempt to start the ship. Much like the escape pod that had been his refuge, nothing he pressed did anything. He looked around for any kind of labeling that might indicate how to turn things on, but all the writing around the buttons was in a language he couldn't read.

"I told you that my ship and I were a package deal," Naomi said as she climbed into the cockpit behind him.

Loki gave her a sheepish look, slightly embarrassed that he had tried to take her ship and had been caught. Naomi slipped her pack off her back and dropped it on an empty chair before sitting in the one next to him. She reached out and touched the console of the ship, bringing everything to life. The ship whirred as the computer systems woke up, readouts appearing on the display in front of them in the language that was on the console.

"How did you do that?" Loki asked. "Nothing I pressed did anything."

Naomi smirked, waving her fingers at him.

"Magic," she said mockingly.

Loki sighed and gave her a look of irritation. Naomi laughed at his expression as she continued her startup sequence.

"This ship was made by an ancient race of people from another galaxy. All of their ships have a genetic component when it comes to using them. I happen to possess that genetic key, so that's why you need me to fly the ship. You can operate other systems, but this ship isn't going anywhere without me."

Loki was confused slightly by her explanation. He had never heard of such a thing, but the longer he lived, the more he realized what he didn't know. Naomi finished prepping the ship and pressed a button that caused safety restraints to come out of their seats and wrap around their bodies, holding them in place. She grabbed the steering column in front of her, causing the ship to jolt as it lifted off the barn floor. Naomi carefully steered the ship out of the building before ascending into the sky.

"Val gave me the coordinates she was given when they left, so that is a good starting point," Naomi said as they broke through the last layer of the atmosphere and into space. "It will take us a bit of time to get to a point where we can jump into that part of space. This ship is quite old, so I can't just get to the portal system like other people."

"Where do we have to go?" Loki asked hesitantly. He was wary of flying through empty space after his encounter with Thanos.

"We have to travel through the galaxy I'm from actually," Naomi explained. "Where we are going is past that. Once we get closer, we will be able to connect to the portal system and travel faster. For now, we'll just have to settle for light speed."

She pressed a few more buttons on the console, causing the ship to whir again. A bright light formed in front of them before the ship lurched forward, entering hyperspace. Naomi set their course and engaged the autopilot before releasing her safety restraints, allowing her to stand from her chair.

"Come," she said, gesturing for Loki to stand. "I'll show you around."

Loki released himself from his chair and followed her back down the stairs to the hold. She opened the door to her right, throwing her backpack onto the bed inside the room before closing the door again.

"That room is mine," she said before pointing to the door across from hers. "That one is yours. We'll be traveling for a while, so make yourself at home."

She walked over and pressed a button on the wall next to the third door, causing it to open and reveal some kind of kitchen-dining combo room.

"I always make sure to keep this well stocked in case I ever needed to leave in a hurry, so there is plenty of food. Earth is particularly good at producing food that lasts for a long time, so I've been stocking up. I can't promise it's very appetizing, but we won't starve."

Naomi gestured widely with her arms before placing her hands on her hips.

"So that's the Nihilus. Let me know if you need anything, I'll be in the cockpit."

Loki watched her climb the stairs again before she disappeared at the top. He gazed around his surroundings with disdain, not really impressed with the travel accommodations. It was better than nothing, though, which was his other option. He walked over to the door that Naomi had pointed out as being his room. Pressing the button beside the door, it slid open to reveal a room with a relatively good sized bed in the middle of it. The lights turned on of their own accord as he entered the room. One wall was lined with drawers for storage while the other one held another door. When he opened it, Loki discovered the small connected bathroom.

"I guess this will have to do," he said softly to himself.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!**


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